Jeu D'esprit || Phantom of the Opera

Chapter 8

Christine dressed herself in her black dress, veil and shoes. Tears streamed down her face non stop for the past week. Erik has not shown up anywhere nor had he reached out to her. But her thoughts stayed on her father. She just couldn't believe he was gone. They had dreamed and planned to go to Europe after high school. They were going to go and see the world! They were each other's worlds.

"You were once... My one companion,
You were all that mattered."

They had these big ideas; world changing ideas that they were going to experience together. And some that they had already started.

"You were once a friend and father... Then my world was shattered."

Christine remembered the days when she was little when they rolled around in the grass. Catching butterflies by day and fireflies by night.

"Wishing you were somehow here again. Wishing you were somehow near."

For the past week, as she closed her eyes, Christine would dream she was in her father's arms again, hearing his soothing, comforting and familiar voice.

"Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed, somehow you would be here. Wishing I could hear your voice again... Knowing that I never would."

But she woke holding nothing but the cold night air. She realized none of it helped. She thought, at first, it would soothe her; in a way. But it only brought back more tears.

"Dreaming of you, won't help me to do, all that you dreamed I could."

What scared her the most was the worst nightmare yet. The cold and dark and lonely graveyard that would soon hold her father and Erik Destlar standing at it's gate. She found herself thinking about it and immediately regretted letting her thoughts go that far. The wrong thing to be with him in peace.

"Passing bells and sculpted angels, Cold and monumental. Seem for you the wrong companions, you were warm and gentle."

She threw her favourite black cloak they had made together for a Halloween costume and started to walk out her front door, not caring who heard her.

"Wishing you were somehow here again. Knowing we must say goodbye."
She remembered Erik as she walked to the church. What would her father want her to do? And she thought again, what was she going to do without her father?

"Trying to forgive, teach me to live. Give me the strength to try!"

She arrived at the pretty—stereotypical—little white church and stared at the doors for a moment.

"Help me say goodbye, help me say goodbye."

"Christine!" She heard a voice call from behind. It was a familiar, yet new, voice. She hadn't heard it in a long time.

Christine turned around to look at the man. "Raoul?" She looked at him closer. "Is that really you?"

"Oh, Christine." He said sadly. "I'm sorry."

He pulled her into, an unexpected but warm, embrace.

"You're hear for the..." Christine gestured to the church not wanting to say aloud, the reasoning for so many people bring here.

"Uh, yeah," He cleared his throat softly. He reached out his hand. "May I?"

A small, very small, smile appeared on Christine's lips as she took his hand. "Thank you."

He lead her inside she they took their seat.